Going to the dogs?

Friday

As visitors flock to the beach this season, some bring along their best four-legged friend.

SANTA ROSA BEACH — As visitors flock to the beach this season, some bring along their best four-legged friend.

However, they might not know that South Walton’s beaches are only open to residents’ dogs whose owners purchase an annual permit. Others who take their dogs to the beach could be ticketed.

Some residents say that’s unlikely.

Pauline Sutcliffe has lived in South Walton for 29 years and says the dog law has not been enforced. The Seacrest Beach resident encounters dogs loose on the beach regularly.

“When I see a dog running for me that I don’t know, I get fearful,” Sutcliffe said. “It is getting worse every year as we have more people visiting here.”

Walton County sheriff’s spokeswoman Wendy Ammons said from Feb. 1, 2012, to Feb. 13, 2013, beach patrol units issued 808 warnings for dogs on the beach. Deputies issued four citations during that same period.

People who violate the ordinance face a $100 fine.

“I don’t have an average number for complaints,” Ammons said. “Many of these may not come in as complaints but as observed violations by deputies.”

Residents’ permits for dogs are $30 a year. The only exception is if a dog belongs to a beachfront property owner who is with the dog on his or her property, Walton County Commissioner Cindy Meadows said.

The measure can be confusing, as all dogs are forbidden on the beach in Destin and Panama City. A recent proposal to allow South Walton visitors to purchase beach permits for their dogs added to the confusion. But that measure was scuttled after residents objected.

In response to more complaints about dogs on the beach, the Tourist Development Council hired two code enforcement officers last year to patrol the beach.

Sutcliffe acknowledges that locals are the worst offenders.

“They don’t obey the leash law. They seem to have an attitude of entitlement. I see officers patrolling, but nothing changes,” she said. “We have the extra money to enforce it now since the TDC is responsible for expenditures. We should pay the piper.

“It’s an important issue. The beach is why we moved and visited here. But it’s not a priority with a lot of people.”

Sutcliffe is a dog owner, but doesn’t take her dog to the beach because she worries about other people’s animals.

“I am an animal lover but I don’t think dogs belong on the beach,” she said. “I would like to see consistent enforcement. I have never seen or known of anyone who has been ticketed, and I am on our beach a lot. To be successful you have to patrol year-round. I walk three times a week year-round and I see dogs off leash running loose and dog waste on the beach.

Sheila Wachsman, a retired attorney who has lived in area for nine years, also has experienced the fear of unleashed dogs charging her leashed dog.

“I decided that it wasn’t worth it to take her (my dog) down there since no one is going to enforce the law, so I didn’t bother to buy a permit this year,” said Wachsman, who lives at Blue Mountain Beach. “I don’t want my dog hurt. It’s a free-for-all. What’s the point of laws if you’re not going to enforce them?”

Code enforcement officer Jeff McVeigh said he and his partner deal with an average of 10 to 12 dogs on the beach per day. He said at this time he is only issuing a warning to the owners and informing them of the regulations. However, McVeigh said that will change soon when new citation tickets that have been ordered arrive.